How reliable are the trains in Italy?

Trains in Italy are generally good value; frequent, but of mixed reliability. The railway market in Italy has been opened to competition, so on some high speed routes you have the choice between Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori or Italo (privately owned) and Trenitalia (state owned).



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With the modernization of trains, Italy boasts one of the best travel systems in Europe. Italy's two largest cities, Rome and Milan, are now connected by just a few hours on a superfast train that reaches up to 200 MPH!

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High-speed trains always require reservations. Trenitalia, Italy's state-run rail network, operates most of the high-speed trains. Others are run by a private company, Italo. The two options are competitively priced and reasonably similar, though they sometimes serve different train stations.

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You can always have delayed trains but as rule the Italian trains run on time as well as well as anyone else.

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If you miss your train, simply approach the ticket counter, or Biglietteria, present your original ticket, and ask about your options. The representative will be able to advise you based on your individual ticket.

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Arrive at the train station with at least 20 minutes before departure. You don't need to worry about long security lines but you will need enough time to check the electronic boards which display the train numbers and their corresponding track number (or bin./binario in Italian).

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Like I mentioned above, Italo is usually cheaper than Trenitalia but because the cabins on lower-class tickets aren't the most comfortable, I'll usually consider Italo only for trains that are less than 2 or 3 hours long unless the Comfort ticket class is cheaper than Trenitalia.

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Italiarail shows a whole day's trains in the search results and can book up to 20 people at a time. Trenitalia's own website only shows a couple of hours-worth of trains at a time and can only book up to 5 people at a time.

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Trains in Italy. Italian trains are a reasonably reliable public transit method.

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Trains in Italy. Italian trains are a reasonably reliable public transit method. The state-owned Italian Rail Network (Rete Ferroviaria Italiana – RFI) oversees rail infrastructure in Italy.

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Often there is little difference in the ticket prices between the two. But even more often, TheTrainline offers discounted train tickets months in advance before the national train company itself ( Trenitalia, for example) has them up for sale on its own website.

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Trains in Italy are cheap compared with other countries in Europe. Therefore, a Eurail or Interrail Pass might be worth only if you plan to visit several cities and are going to travel on many more expensive high-speed trains.

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There is rarely any discount for buying a regional train ticket in advance, but these are also the least expensive tickets within the Trenitalia system. If you buy your Regionale tickets online, they do not need to be validated before boarding.

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First-class seating is more spacious, with fewer seats per compartment, and usually more quiet. There is more room for luggage and it will generally be less crowded as most passengers typically travel in second class.

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Some trains require seat reservations, and on other trains it's optional. If you're riding a train on which reservations are only recommended or completely optional and you don't have a reservation, you can sit in any available seat in the appropriate class you have booked.

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Traveling by train in Italy means always traveling with carry-on luggage. You'll carry on board everything you have with you. It's your responsibility to bring your bags on board and stow them properly, which is a great incentive to packing light. There's no fee to bring luggage on the train.

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Better yet, just download the Trainline app before you travel. Our handy app lets you explore routes across dozens of Italian train stations and instantly purchase e-tickets.

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Trenitalia had already sparked controversy with a proposal that passengers in the cheapest class will not be allowed to use restaurant carriages or even venture into the more expensive carriages, prompting charges in the blogosphere and Italian media of promoting an economic apartheid.

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I've read quite a lot about the fact that Trenitalia-trains are usually late and often also for hours, so that connection trains cannot be reached.

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What are the luggage fees on Trenitalia? Every passenger of Trenitalia can take luggage and suitcases on board the train for free. Trenitalia luggage policy is not strict about the number of suitcases and dimensions limit, and it doesn't require any fee or extra fee in case of overweight or oversize luggage.

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